


Imagine Life Was Real

by leatherandwolfsbane



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Budding Love, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), canon compliant through 3.05, sheithweekunlimited 2018
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 09:43:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14017524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leatherandwolfsbane/pseuds/leatherandwolfsbane
Summary: Change is not a welcome word for Keith. He's faced enough adversity that he meets change with intense glares, clenched teeth, and ready fists. Keith may also have a lot of pent-up anger in play. So when Shiro is missing from his life again, Keith does not cope well.But he’s here now. Shiro found his way back. Back to Keith. Back to his home.If only they could both be there at the same time.





	Imagine Life Was Real

Change is not a welcome word for Keith. He's faced enough adversity that he meets change with intense glares, clenched teeth, and ready fists. Keith may also have a lot of pent-up anger in play. So when Shiro is missing from his life again, Keith does not cope well. 

 

But he’s here now. Shiro found his way back. Back to Keith. Back to his home. 

 

The Black Lion senses her former paladin first, and the beckoning call runs through Keith's veins. They found him. After searching for months, it's surreal to have Shiro before him, to see this gray Galran ship and instinctively know that it's Shiro. He can hope that his friend is hale and whole, but Keith knows better than to expect space to be kind to them anymore. 

 

Black opens her maw to capture the hijacked fighter, snapping off the wings in her desperation to get to the treasured pilot inside. All they need is Shiro. Keith leaps from his chair to meet him as the jaw shuts, enclosing the pair in darkness. Neither man needs the light to find each other as they crash into a hug. The need to hold each other is urgent; there is no more pressing demand in the universe right now than to have Shiro in his arms.

 

Shiro is exhausted, filthy, and bandaged. His hair hangs long and limp. He smells and looks near fainting, but Keith has never found him to be more beautiful. Shiro is alive, and he is here. He's hugging him back, his grip firm and every shift pulls them closer to each other. It's a bruising tightness they'll never relent.

 

“I knew I’d find you. I never gave up hope. I never stopped looking.” If both paladins shed a few tears and refuse to let go of each other, no one else needs to know. 

 

* * *

 

The team politely agrees to stay away, for now, to not overwhelm their friend. Keith suspects Allura is to thank for that since he could hear the uproar over the comms when he suggested letting him and Shiro come into the hangar on their own. Only Coran sees the returned paladin as he helps inspect Shiro. Keith props Shiro up for a soothing decontamination shower. A stop at the infirmary takes care of the cauterized wound on Shiro's leg, and Coran administers supplements for his malnutrition. 

 

Shiro barely speaks, giving monosyllabic answers to Coran's inquiries, but the man takes no offense. Shiro looks ready to drop. But Keith can see that Shiro is as wired as he is. He stares directly at Keith. His gaze has a severity that makes Keith's heart pound and palms sweat. The energy between them is a duality - a need to sleep for weeks and shut everything out, and to never close their eyes on each other again. 

 

Coran quietly gives them the all clear and sends them off with a "Welcome back, Number One." Keith nods his gratitude and brings Shiro's left arm over his shoulder so that Shiro can feel him. Shiro could probably manage to walk on his own, but this feels necessary. He presses close to Shiro's side and smiles at the resulting sigh.

 

Keith walks straight past Shiro's room and presses the release for his door. Keith is prepared to say something about this being easier to keep an eye on him while he recovers, but Shiro does not contest Keith's actions and walks with the same purpose towards the familiar quarters. 

 

Shiro settles on his friend's bed and pulls the soft blanket around himself. Keith squashes down an emotional response to that - that something is pleasing about seeing Shiro in his space, something comforting and proper in seeing Shiro so at home there, not to mention that the sight of Shiro tucking himself in is positively adorable. 

 

He's still dazed. His fingers rub at the blankets cyclically. Keith sits content in Shiro's silence; he can only imagine the hell Shiro's experienced. He doesn't need Keith harassing him, and he's in no rush to make Shiro relive any pain.  

 

Keith gently presses against his shoulder. “Why don’t you lay down? You need to rest. It’s safe here.” Keith could join him, but he wants to remain vigilant at Shiro’s bedside.

 

Shiro is staring down at his hands when he asks softly, “Is this what it felt like?” 

 

Keith cocks his head when there’s nothing more and waits for Shiro to continue. “Is this what it felt like when you thought I was dead?”

 

That is not at all what he was expecting. But even Keith can tell that Shiro needs to take his time, needs to let it all out.

 

"Is this what it felt like when you found out about Kerberos? When I was gone, and you were never going to see me again…? My heart, my head…flooded."

 

Keith bites his lip. They’re always candid with each other, but this is venturing into new territory. 

 

"I woke up on a Galra ship, near a druid lab. I recognized it. I fought my way out and stole a ship. I crashed on ice. That's how I got the gash in my leg. I almost gave up there. I just…lied there in the snow for a long time, wondering if it was worth it to keep trying. I'd made it out of Galra clutches, but I had no idea where I was or how to get back to you, back to the team. Ice and snow," Shiro scoffs. "It was like Kerberos revisited - stranded with ice and attacked by aliens. But some Rebels saved me, interrogated me, eventually believed me, and gave me their only transportation, just a rickety shuttle. I hitched a ride on a Galra cruiser - "

 

“That’s no small feat.” Keith smiles, his fingers inching closer to Shiro’s. 

 

“It was the one at Thayserix.” Keith gasps at learning just how close they had been to having Shiro back earlier. And they had left them there. He entwines his fingers with Shiro’s and squeezes tight while his other hand wrenches in his hair. They’d been so close.    

 

"I could hear the alarms. Voltron was there; you were attacking. It was fate. You gave me the energy to keep moving. It would have worked, but you were too fast, and my ship was too slow. I followed you for days. I had no resources, no fuel, no oxygen, but I had to hope."

 

“Shiro - ” Keith forces himself to meet Shiro’s eyes anew. 

 

"I kept a log while I was dying. Messages. At first, they were for the team, for me, for my sanity. But then they were for you. Just you. I needed to see you again. I had to make my way back to you. I was so angry that I'd left you another time that I realized just how much I cared about you. No - the truth - just the _way_ I cared about you.”

 

They're both breathing fast, but the confession isn't complete.

 

They instinctively lean closer to each other. Keith can feel the heat radiating off of Shiro. “How many times are you gonna have to save me before this is over?” 

 

“As many times as it takes.” 

 

“I love you.”

 

And then there’s no gap between them at all. Shiro’s hand is gentle where it cradles Keith’s jaw, tilting his head up so their lips can meet perfectly. The touch is soft yet full of yearning. The kiss is full of everything they’ve let build for months, for years. It’s worth the wait.

 

Keith starts to feel fuzzy but lets it wash over him as he tugs lightly at Shiro's hair to pull him in for more. This is a typical reaction to a kiss, surely. 

 

But now his head's in a fog. He can't think. His head starts to pound. His hearing muffles. Keith inches away from Shiro. His core clenches and breath jolts, coming out ragged for a new reason. It's like a force is pushing down on him. Keith lets out a small groan, and then he slumps against Shiro.

 

Shiro’s eyes open wide in distress. “Keith? Keith? _KEITH?!_ ” 

 

What just happened? They were fine. Everything was fine. Everything was perfect for once. They finally told each other how they felt and they kissed - their first kiss. What was going on?

 

Shiro frantically checks for Keith's pulse. It's there. It's steady, calm even as if Keith was just naturally asleep.

 

Shiro's checking for hidden injuries when Lance enters. His room is closest to Keith's; he must have been lounging there when Shiro yelled. 

 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? What’s wrong with Keith?”

 

"I - I don't know. I'm fine. I don't know what happened. We were just talking. And it's like Keith passed out, but he won't wake; he won't budge." 

 

Pidge and Allura are next on the scene and Shiro's shaking. _Why does this always happen to them?_ He can't even hear what Lance is trying to explain to them, not that much can be said. Shiro is only paying attention to his love's form cradled in his arms. He hears Hunk and Coran join the clamor and then there are hands on his arm. Someone's trying to get him to stand, and someone else is trying to take Keith from him. That's not happening. 

 

“Come on, lad. Back to the infirmary. Come on now; it’ll be alright.” 

 

Shiro doesn't want to leave this warmth. He doesn't want to part with where he and Keith were together and happy.

 

But he will take action for Keith to be healthy because something is clearly not okay.

 

He untangles himself from the blanket, feeling the last bit of comfort it represents dragging slowly on his pant leg, begging him to stay. He secures one arm under Keith's knees and the other around his shoulders, holding him tight. It's far too easy to carry Keith. In another instance, he would have liked this. _But this?_ This is torture.  

 

Even when they win, they lose. 

 

* * *

 

Shiro’s holding Keith’s hand, rubbing his thumb in what he hopes would be a comforting gesture, as he listens to Coran and Pidge speculate. 

 

They've run every test and scan they can think of, but there's nothing physically wrong with Keith. No injuries, no infections, there's nothing wrong with his blood or his brain activity. He's not in a coma, yet he kind of is. Keith merely is in this weird stasis that Altean and Earth science can't explain. _That's great. That's easy to solve._

 

At least he doesn’t look like he’s in pain.   

 

"Explain it to us again, Shiro," Allura commands, not unkindly. 

 

Shiro mumbles as he faces the other paladins. “It’s like I said, we were just sitting there talking. I told him what happened to me after I vanished - which you all know now, as well - and then…” 

 

“Then what, Shiro?” Pidge glances up from the data pad to look at Keith, then back to the pad, then back again. They’re all as restless as Shiro is about Keith’s state. 

 

Well, they know everything else, and who knows, maybe it is somehow relevant? 

 

“We kissed.” It comes out on a heaving exhale. He had wanted to keep the peaceful moment between himself and Keith for a little while at least, but it would have come out with the Voltron mind-melding anyway, if not sooner.

 

Shiro now has Pidge's full attention. And everyone else's. Pidge's smirk is slightly alarming, actually, and very similar to the look Matt used to give Shiro when their conversation turned to Keith. It's nice. Familiar.      

 

Hunk has his hands clasped to his lips, unintentionally forming a heart shape, as a broad grin overtakes his expression. There's a building whine coming from his direction. Okay, so Hunk's agreeable with this development. 

 

"You - You kissed?" Allura questions. She sounds a little surprised, but not upset. Thankfully none of them look bothered or disgusted. Lance is freaking out, but his exclamations have nothing to do with disapproval. It seems like Lance has once again missed a couple of cues, although Shiro had hoped he wasn't visible with his feelings for Keith. 

 

“You kissed? _You kissed?!_ You two - I mean - I knew you were close, I just didn’t know it was that kind of close! How long have you two been kissing?” Lance crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrow raised, looking every bit a stern mother who’s just caught her naughty children. All that’s missing is a tapping foot, and ah, there it goes. 

 

Pidge laughs at that, the others joining in, and Shiro has to smile. He looks at Keith. "It was our first kiss. We just got together."

 

Hunk has burst. “This is brilliant! I mean, I thought something was going on with you two. Pidge did, too, totally. I mean, Keith was _devastated_ when you were gone and…” He tapers off as the mood turns somber once more. 

 

“I’m pretty devastated right now, too.” Shiro just wants Keith to wake up. He’s just sleeping, so all he has to do is wake up.

 

The team exchanges glances, all consumed with the same thoughts and desires: What is wrong with Keith? 

 

Hunk chimes in, “It’s like a fairytale. You know, one of those princess stories where true love’s kiss saves the day?” 

 

“Yeah, except this was true love’s kiss knocking Keith out instead,” Pidge says.   

 

Coran can see how much Shiro is struggling and knows the young man would appreciate some time alone to deal with this grief and overwhelming confusion. He ushers the little found family out of the door, "Come along now. Let's go recheck the pods to see…well, to see if there's anything new to try for Keith." 

 

"A new idea from when we inspected five minutes ago?" Lance retorts, voice growing faint as the group walks further away.

 

Shiro rests his head on Keith’s stomach, his eyes closed against his tears. “Please. Please wake up.” 

 

He shifts closer to Keith's head and runs his fingers through the silky hair. "Come back to me, Keith. I can't be without you. I'm not as strong as you are. If this is my Kerberos, I can't handle it. All those months away from you - I can't take that again. The last time we were apart, I realized that I never want to live that way again. I love you. I love you, and I need you. Everything was supposed to be okay now. I'm back; you can't leave. I need you with me, here. _Wake up_. Please, wake up."   

 

Shiro places a kiss on Keith’s unmoving lips, pulls away dazed, and promptly collapses onto the floor. The last thing he hears is the faint pounding of approaching feet.

 

“Shiro? Shiro what happened, man?”

 

The team spills into the room to a new puzzle. Shiro is on the floor, looking as dead to the world as Keith was, as Keith rises into a sitting position on the bed, disoriented, but awake.     

 

“Keith?!” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> For sheithweekunlimited 2018. Inspired by a plot line from Once Upon a Time that I do not know the resolution to because I stopped watching haha. Smart plan, Mere. Seven chapters are plotted so far, one for each daily theme, and maybe more.
> 
> [Youtube](http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpt7BdIAar9MUWu7mmzY9yXMxo0L0Lrx5) playlist
> 
> [Spotify](http://open.spotify.com/user/macmab8330/playlist/7raNDDw7M6ZvyVx513A0Pz) playlist


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